RED SOX NOTEBOOK: Buchholz up next

Clay Buchholz, not the prototypical No. 5 starter, takes the mound for the Red Sox Saturday against the Brewers.

Eric McHugh The Patriot Ledger

BOSTON – Introducing your No. 5 Red Sox starter – Clay Buchholz.

Not the prototypical last guy to take the mound to start a season.

“Yeah, I was just thinking today (coming in) to the park that (we have Jake) Peavy and him as 4 and 5,” catcher David Ross said, managing a laugh after Friday’s 6-2 loss to the Brewers. “That’s pretty impressive. I don’t think too many teams can match up with that.”

Coming off a season with brilliant numbers (12-1, 1.74 ERA) that was interrupted by a lengthy disabled list stint (neck strain), Buchholz was pushed to the back end of the rotation to begin the season, allowing him to build up a little more arm strength. He’ll get the start Saturday (7:10 p.m., NESN), opposing Brewers right-hander Wily Peralta, who was 11-15 with a 4.37 ERA last year, his first full season in the bigs.

Buchholz was 3-2 with a 2.84 ERA in five spring training starts, allowing 13 hits in 19 innings with 13 strikeouts and five walks.

“The thing that stood out from the first time he took the mound (in spring training) was that he pitched a lot more comfortable,” manager John Farrell said. “And by comfortable I mean he didn’t try to overdo things, he didn’t try to manufacture velocity, where that might have been a question coming off the end of last year.

“I think the World Series start (4 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER in a Game 4 win) gave him confidence that he can go out and compete and compete at a high level with a little bit less velocity. With each (spring training) start the action to his stuff picked up, the power continued to climb, and he came out of spring training checking off every box that we had hoped to get accomplished in camp. I think he’s ready to go.”

Farrell said Buchholz didn’t mind being slotted behind Jon Lester, John Lackey, Felix Doubront and Peavy in the rotation.

“When we laid out our rotation, each guy is involved in it,” Farrell said. “The reasons we stated to Clay, he understood it. It gave him a few extra days to build up his bullpen (sessions). This wasn’t a matter of ego, (him) saying, ‘I should be higher in the rotation.’ It was just a matter of making sure he was ready to go when the season began.”

Ross agreed that the World Series start should be a big lift for Buchholz. His prolonged absence last year led to some grumbling from fans and media that he was too much of a perfectionist about his health.

“I saw the look on his face after that World Series game and he was grinning from ear to ear,” Ross said. “One, it was a win and he’s a team guy. But I think it also gave him a lot of confidence in terms of showing him that he can pitch with not his best stuff. He does such a good job of pitching and battling. (Now) when he doesn’t feel 100 percent he can still go out there.”

EMOTIONS RAN HIGH

The pre-game ceremony was long and varied. Members of the Boston Pops set up shop in short right field and serenaded the crowd as giant pennants representing all of the Red Sox’s eight World Series championships were unfurled over the Green Monster. The ones from 2004, 2007 and 2013, layered on top of each other, each took up almost the full length of the Wall.

Those injured in last year’s Boston Marathon bombings and the families of those who were killed brought the World Series rings in from left field and presented them to the team’s brass – John Henry, Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner – who in turn presented them to the players.

David Ortiz got an additional ring acknowledging his World Series MVP performance.

“That was something that you’re not expecting,” he said. “I appreciate the fact that they look at me that way. (I had) no clue. I thought they were giving me somebody else’s ring (by mistake). That was very kind coming from them.”

The Red Sox players filed out to left-center, where they were joined by Boston firefighters to first raise the permanent World Series banner and then lower the flag to half-staff in honor of the firefighters, Lt. Edward J. Walsh and firefighter Michael R. Kennedy, killed in the Back Bay blaze last week. Dropkick Murphys performed the national anthem with help from the Boston Pops.

“Pretty special,” Dustin Pedroia said of the ceremony. “It happened so fast that you try to slow it down and take it all in. All of it was awesome.”

The Red Sox had recorded a franchise-best nine straight home-opening wins since 2005, the longest active streak in the majors. ... The Red Sox are 12-3 against Milwaukee since Sept. 6, 1997. ... This was the earliest in a season the Sox have played a National League team. They came in with the best interleague record in baseball since 2003 (130-70, ,650). ... Ortiz, 2 for 37 in 14 spring training games, went 1 for 4 on Friday and is hitting .353. ... Pedroia was 1 for 4 as well, dropping to .421. ... Catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who got the start, leads active major leaguers with 1,681 career games behind the plate. ... The Fenway fans lustily booed Brewers DH Ryan Braun in pregame introductions and again every time he approached the plate. Braun, who was suspended for the final 65 games of last season for violating MLB’s ban on performance-enhancing drugs, was 0 for 5 and is down to .063 on the season.